VLC was once the best in class. Not only was it a great piece of legacy software, the Android team were so passionate that they took that reputation and all the expectations that go along with it and exceeded it.

But as time has gone on, it’s just started to languish. If you attempt to rewind a few too many times, the video freezes and you get audio. You can’t play a folder on a NAS without creating a playlist. You play a folder locally without VLC losing its place. Every time the screen goes off, it needs to scan the device anew. And despite being at the forefront of Holo Design and Material Design 1, it’s yet to implement Material You.

It feels like VLC for Android has been forgotten… So what do people recommend as a replacement?

  • MPC-BE 64 or something like that. It’s one of the only apps I’ve found that can handle HDR really well, plus any file type I throw at it, and easily changes audio/subtitle tracks like in VLC by right clicking. It took me a while to set up though, I don’t even remember how I did it now. When I get back to my PC I’ll double check the name, there’s a few with similar names and not all we’re equal in my experience.